In late February, three University of Hartford faculty members served as panelists on the 12th annual Women’s Empowerment Leadership Conference hosted by the Yale University Women’s Leadership Initiative. The professors included were, Dr. Markeysha Davis, Dr. Rachel Walker, and Dr. Laura Pence.

The conference included over 60 speakers that highlighted aspects of leadership ranging from organization and inspiration to embracing one’s individual talents and passions.

The conference shed light on the unique achievements of women within academia, honing in on the achievements of three intelligent and well-educated professors.

Dr. Davis is an Assistant Professor of Literature and Africana Studies at Hillyer College. She is also the chair of the Africana Studies program and has a particular interest in black poetry and drama during the Black Power Movement.

She completed her Bachelor’s degree in journalism at Wayne State University and went on to receive a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Rachel Walker is an Assistant Professor of History and received a PhD from the University of Maryland. She is currently working on a publication and teaches a multitude of classes on historiography, women’s history, and sexuality in America.

She is also very interested in phrenology and the implications of beauty standards throughout history.

Just last week, she gave a lecture in which she discussed the racial standards of beauty which dominated the eugenics movement.

Dr. Pence is a Professor of Chemistry and participated on the STEM board during this conference. Her expertise is in environmental chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and chemical education.

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Image Courtesy to Hartford.edu